Wellington business owner Nicola Cranfield claims she was grabbed by Green MP Julie Anne Genter

A new allegation has been made against Green MP Julie Anne Genter, with a Wellington businesswoman claiming the politician grabbed her arm during an exchange over a controversial plan to ban cars in the heart of the city.

It comes after Four Seasons Florist owner Laura Newcombe revealed Genter filmed her during a confrontation over cycle lanes which she felt was “like something out of Police Ten 7”.

Genter has been working from home following an incident in Parliament’s debating chamber on Wednesday night, where she crossed the room and waved a book in National Minister Matt Doocey’s face after he commented on the cancellation of roads by part of the Labor Party.

The incident sparked multiple complaints about privilege, with Green Party co-leaders Marama Davidson and Chloe Swarbrick calling the behavior “completely unacceptable”.

Now Cranfield owner Nicola Cranfield has alleged she had her own “disturbing” experience with Genter.

Cranfield claimed he saw Genter in Wellington’s Midland Park sometime between the end of last year’s general election and Christmas.

Cranfield said she had always been curious about a letter Genter may have written in her capacity as Deputy Transport Minister to former Wellington mayor Justin Lester, which led to a plan to remove private vehicles from the city’s Golden Mile. .

Cranfield approached Genter and proceeded to ask him about the letter.

“She got angry and very defensive,” Cranfield said.

“She said, ‘I’m not in power anymore, I’m in the opposition,’ and she really washed her hands of any responsibility.”

Cranfield again pressed for a response, saying planned transport changes had negatively affected its retail business.

Genter repeated the same thing, grabbed Cranfield’s upper arm and shook him a little, Cranfield alleged.

Cranfield said that, in his opinion, “it was not a friendly shake.” She believed Cranfield felt Genter was in a “position of power.”

Cranfield walked away and couldn’t remember if Genter said anything else.

“I was quite upset and didn’t know what to do or say. I just didn’t expect her to put my hand on her.

“It was very strange that a politician grabbed me.”

When asked about Cranfield’s claims, a Green Party spokesperson said co-leaders Marama Davidson and Chloe Swarbrick had no prior knowledge of the allegations about Genter that have recently come to light.

“They had already taken disciplinary action following Wednesday’s incident in Parliament, which was clearly unacceptable and did not meet the high standards the Green Party expects of its MPs.

“As part of the disciplinary action, Julie Anne will receive professional and personal support to ensure that incidents of this nature never occur again.”

Genter herself did not respond to a separate request for comment.

Cranfield said she did not pursue the matter further at the time because she was busy running her business.

“I just thought maybe she (Genter) had a really bad day and kind of tried to ignore it.

“It really came back to me this week when I saw his behavior in other situations and realized it was obviously not an isolated incident.”

Cranfield felt that Genter’s actions came from a position of arrogance.

“A real arrogance towards the people on the ground – those who pay rates, pay GST, pay a lot of money and work hard.”

Cranfield is among some business owners who are vehemently opposed to the Golden Mile project, claiming it will do nothing to revitalize the city center and turn the capital’s main artery into little more than a bus lane.

The project includes removing vehicles from Courtenay Place to Lambton Quay to make way for bus lanes, cycle lanes and wider footpaths to prioritize walking and cycling.

Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has said this is what transformational change looks like.

“It will create a beautiful, pedestrian-friendly CBD that will attract people, workers and shoppers. It will make our buses more reliable. It is estimated that it will provide hundreds of millions of dollars to benefit our city.”

Last month Cranfield revealed it is closing its store after 33 years and said it does not want to waste any more time fighting with its own council over the plan.

Georgina Campbell is a Wellington-based reporter with a particular interest in local government, transport and seismic issues. She joined the Herald in 2019 after working as a broadcast journalist.